There is nothing you absolutely have to do — except maybe cook and/or eat the food.

There are no complicated rituals to recall — except maybe those you create yourself.

I don't want to hear any nonsense about historical or political accuracy.

Thanksgiving is as American as the corniest and best of Americana can be. It is just about
gathering with people you love (or at least like a lot), eating probably a fabulous feast and, best
of all, gratitude.

The gratitude attitude may be corny, too, but I am personally very fond of counting
blessings.

And personally, I have plenty of them. Love and work and health and plenty of good food, wine
and music head my own list.

And for the 60 million or so of us in the gigantic minority called Americans with disabilities,
there are plenty of blessings, as well.

Last December, I was dismayed and frankly ashamed of the moment when our U.S. senators voted
against ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Fashioned after our own 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, this United Nations treaty is
designed to protect the human rights of the 1 billion citizens around the world who have
disabilities, including U.S. citizens when traveling internationally.

What's not to be in favor of when talking about granting the same protections worldwide that we
consider significant here at home? One-hundred thirty-three countries thus far have ratified the
treaty, and our being glaringly absent from that list makes little sense. President George W. Bush
helped draft the treaty and Sen. Bob Dole made a profoundly moving appearance to speak in support
of the treaty last December, and yet, some adult version of the telephone game misled some
Republican senators to oppose it.

Happily, the treaty will come up for a vote again in the coming weeks and is gathering support
on both sides of the aisle.

We can be thankful that it has returned to the Senate agenda. And we can pray that, this time,
we do the right thing.

If you don't want to think much about global matters, there is plenty to feel thankful for in
the disability arena on a smaller scale, as well.

In Iowa, we have one teenager with Down syndrome being hired by a large corporate entity to be a
fashion model.

And in Toledo (at my own alma mater, I might add: Whitmer High School) we have another teenager
with Down syndrome being named homecoming queen by her classmates.

Fifty years ago, these same kids wouldn't have been visible much at all, and certainly not
celebrated by their peers.

Kids with all sorts of disabilities are now in schools across the nation, learning alongside
their nondisabled peers.

And while employment rates are still far too low, we have commitments to hire more workers with
disabilities on both state and national levels. Little kids who are blind now can get a letter from
Santa in Braille, and little kids who are deaf can speak to Santa in American Sign Language. Sure,
we still have miles to go before the promise of the ADA is fully realized, but people with
disabilities have plenty of good things to celebrate.

Thursday was the official day of giving thanks, but we all might benefit from extending the
sense of gratitude a few days longer.

Even if Black Friday shopping is your raison d’être for Thanksgiving weekend, remember that 30
years ago, there were no designated accessible parking spaces, no larger dressing rooms to
accommodate wheelchairs, no online shopping for people with chronic fatigue or other
disabilities.

We do need to fix those things that need fixing, but at least for this long weekend of
thanksgiving, let’s breathe a sigh of gratitude to God and the universe for bringing us this
far.

Deborah Kendrick is a Cincinnati writer and advocate for people with disabilities.